Solar rope lights – designed for the British climate – should save you a tidy sum on your electric bill.

Available in packs of 40 lights, in either red or yellow, when fully charged they’ll sparkle for up to three days without the need for more sunlight – so they could be used indoors (£22.99 plus £3.95 delivery,http://www.nigelsecostore.com).

Alternatively, opt for LED Christmas lights, they use less electricity and because they have no moving parts like traditional bulbs they burnout far less frequently. They also always stay cool to the touch.

LED lights are now pretty much the norm on the high street but we love the John Lewis range (£5 to £65,http://www.johnlewis.com).

Food and Drink

Avoid a last-minute dash to the supermarket and pick up fresh produce from your local farmer’s market instead. Buying loose veggies in a box saves on packaging and you know it’ll taste better.

When it comes to dairy products and meat the usual rules apply; opt for organic and free-range and avoid frozen turkeys.

Fish should come from sustainably sourced suppliers and on other items keep an eye out for the Fairtrade logo.

Vegetarians and anyone brave enough to have a meat-free Christmas should head to the Vegan Society (http://www.vegan society.com) and the Vegetarian Society (http://www.vegsoc.org) for all manner of animal-free ideas.

Organic alcohol also comes in all shapes and forms with wine, beer, cider and spirits available.

For information on where to go to stock up the liquor cabinet and to find out why it may even make your hangover healthier, seehttp://www.tiny.cc/OglG8

Wrapping and Cards

Christmas cards from the shops cost a fortune and are pretty low on inspiration.

Get creative and draw your own, especially cute if you can rope the kids in again – and you might cringe at a family photo from the Brown’s at 10 Downing Street, but digital cameras and home computers have made creating unique designs easy.

If you’ve saved last year’s Christmas cards use them this year as gift labels.

Cool recycled gift wrap can be found almost everywhere, but we love the designs at web store The Green Apple (http://www.the-green-apple.co.uk) and the WWF (shop.wwf.org.uk) also has a classy selection.

Otherwise you could always re-use your old copies of the Metro… although we appreciate the in-laws might not be too impressed. Unless they happen to be Tom and Barbara Good.

Christmas creates more waste than at any other time of year. The Woodland Trust, Britain’s leading conservation charity, arranges for the recycling of used Christmas cards via WH Smith, TK Maxx and Marks & Spencer.